Dusseldorf - A new multi-layer co-injection technology, launched at K, is designed for dairy producers to think outside the box.

The technology from Kortec, developed in association with PET liquid packaging provider Sidel, allows production of PET bottles for milk with 100% light-blocking capability.

The companies are targeting the shelf-stable milk market. Geographically, consumers in Europe and Latin America are large consumers of that product.

At K 2013, Russell Bennett, VP of sales and marketing, told PlasticsToday that when light gets into milk, it will lose its nutrients.

"This technology blocks out the light, which allows brands the opportunity to use PET," he said. "PET offers more opportunity for logo designs and a chance to differentiate on the shelves."

The new Kortec LB technology allows the molding of a three-layer preform, which is then blown into the milk bottle. The preforms, developed by Kortec in cooperation with Sidel, consist of three layers of PET: white on the outside, black in the middle, and white on the inside. This approach ensures that the light-blocking black PET layer covers the whole of the bottle, including the base, thereby providing no access for light. 

To block the correct wavelengths of light from entering the package, barrier-layer material placement and dispersion is critical, according to Kortec. Working with Sidel, Kortec's first products with this technology are 25g preforms for 1-liter bottles. Bennett said that 22g preforms are currently in development. 

The new Kortec LB technology also features high cavitation molds - up to 128 cavities.

According to Kortec, this all adds up to the lowest overall total cost of any light-blocking packaging technology on the market today.

But Bennett said this technology is not just limited to dairy and sees uses in other light-sensitive beverage products.

"It's a lower cost product option for this market that provides converters and end users with a competitive advantage, as well as addressing the issue of sustainability in production through its low material usage," he said.